‘Miyan pack your bags and come,’ Siraj’s dramatic WC call:Originally planned to depart for Spain, India pacer didn’t believe Surya’s summon

Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj had captained Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy. The team did not reach the knockout stage, so he decided to take some rest. The plan was to go to Spain next week to watch a football match between Real Madrid and Real Sociedad. After that, he intended to spend time with his family during Ramadan and then prepare for the IPL. But then a phone call came, and everything changed. Siraj said that a message came from T20 team captain Suryakumar Yadav, which read: Miyan, pack your bags and come. You will play in the World Cup. However, Siraj did not take this summons from Surya seriously saying: Don’t joke with me, I’m going to Spain to watch the ball. After this, Siraj played his first match against America and won the match by taking 3 wickets. Surya’s call was followed by Pragyan Ojha, after which, the India pacer believed the WC call and cancelled his tickets. Don’t joke with me – Siraj said on WC call When Surya called, Siraj initially thought Surya was joking. He immediately said, “Don’t joke about such things.” But when Surya clarified again that he was not joking and that he had to join the team for the T20 World Cup, Siraj packed his bags without delay. Later, he received a call from Selection Committee member Pragyan Ojha. Arrived around 3 AM Siraj arrived in Mumbai around 3 AM. That same night, he did some preparation about the opposing team, then slept for a while. Upon waking up in the morning, he received a message that he would also be included in the playing eleven for the first match against America. Jasprit Bumrah is not fit. Last T20 played in July Siraj had not played any T20 International match after July 2024. But on Saturday, when he started bowling with the new ball, it seemed as if he had never been away from this format. Taking two wickets in his very first spell, Siraj, along with Arshdeep Singh, reduced America to 13 runs for 3 wickets. India had to defend a score of 161 runs, and from here the direction of the match was set. In the post-match press conference, an emotional Siraj said, God changed my destiny in 24 hours. I was spending time with my family. Then the team’s trainer, Adrian, messaged and asked what I was doing. I said – don’t message now, I’m resting after playing matches for a couple of days. Return after 557 days Siraj was included in the team after Harshit Rana’s injury. Along with this, luck also favoured him because Jasprit Bumrah fell ill before the match and could not practice. In such a situation, if the team had to play two fast bowlers, Siraj was the only option along with Arshdeep. Siraj played his last match on July 30, 2024. He returned to T20 cricket after 557 days. Six hit on the very second ball Siraj conceded a six on the very second ball, but he immediately corrected his length. Andries Gous drove a full-length delivery outside off-stump and was caught. In the next over, Siraj made good use of length and back-of-length deliveries and also sent Saiteja Mukkamalla back to the pavilion. With two wickets in eight balls, Siraj showed that being out of the T20 team had no effect on his game. Took advantage of the Ranji Trophy form Siraj said, “I came here after the Ranji Trophy, so I maintained the same line and length. When we were batting, we saw that the new ball wasn’t coming onto the bat easily. So, we planned to bowl wicket-to-wicket, which worked.” Carries Ronaldo’s picture on mobile Siraj has neither changed his game nor his mobile wallpaper in the last few months. Even today, his phone has a picture of football star Cristiano Ronaldo, with the word – BELIEVE – written on it. Like a dream for me Siraj said, “It is important to be mentally prepared to play the World Cup. It’s been almost 10 years playing for India. I know how to prepare myself in this format. While sleeping at night, I told myself that I would do the same things that have worked for me so far.” Joining the team suddenly in the T20 format is not new for Siraj. In December too, he was suddenly called into the Hyderabad team during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, even then, he reached Kolkata at night and played the match the very next day, taking 1 wicket for 15 runs in 4 overs.